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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. net — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of a king
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of law
  18. bass — low music
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chair — a leader
  23. court — for sport
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com